Beach in Thailand declared disaster area after oil pipeline leak

Hundreds of oil company workers and navy personnel deployed in clean-up of Mae Ramphueng shoreline

A beach in eastern Thailand has been declared a disaster area as oil leaking from an underwater pipeline in the Gulf of Thailand continues to wash ashore and blacken the sand.

The leak, from a pipeline owned by Star Petroleum Refining, started late on Tuesday and was brought under control a day later after spilling an estimated 50,000 litres (11,000 gallons) of oil into the ocean about 12 miles (20km) from the country's industrialised eastern seaboard.